LeeAllure recently brought to our attention the PETA campaign to call fish "seakittens" so we wouldnt want to hurt them...
PETA just grinds my gears so I sent them an email telling them just how foolish I thought they were as an organization in general..
I never expected a response, but got one.....Here it is....
Thank you for contacting PETA about our lighthearted campaign to get people to think of fish as “sea kittens.” The goal of this campaign is to help people of all ages recognize that fish are living beings capable of feeling pain and distress—just as kittens are—and that it is no more acceptable to inflict pain and suffering on fish than it is to hurt a kitten or any other animal.
PETA’s purpose is to stop animal suffering, and we use all available opportunities to reach millions of people with powerful messages. We have found that people pay more attention to our more outlandish actions, and we consider the public’s attention to be extremely important. Part of our job is to grab people’s attention and initiate discussion, debate, questioning of the status quo, and, of course, action. The situation is critical for billions of animals, and our goal is to make the public think about the issues.
We cannot dismiss the fact that it’s wrong to hurt fish simply because we perceive them to be less intelligent than humans. Superior intelligence does not entitle humans to abuse other humans, so why should it entitle humans to abuse beings other than humans?
No one would consider doing to other animals what some so casually do to fish—trick them into impaling themselves in the mouth and pull them into an environment where they can’t breathe. But whether they are bass or basset hounds, catfish or cats, all animals treasure their lives and feel pain.
According to Dr. Donald Broom, animal welfare advisor to the British government, “The scientific literature is quite clear. Anatomically, physiologically and biologically, the pain system in fish is virtually the same as in birds and mammals. In animal welfare terms you have to put fishing into the same category as hunting.” Adds Dr. Austin Williams, a U.S. National Marine Fisheries Service zoologist, fish “are [sensitive] organisms, so of course they feel pain.” To learn more about these animals’ intelligence and capacity for suffering, please visit http://www.FishingHurts.com/feat-hiddenfish.asp and http://www.FishingHurts.com/FishFeelPain.asp.
We also want people to know that eating fish flesh can be hazardous to their health. Fish can accumulate extremely high levels of chemical residues—as much as 9 million times higher than the levels of the water in which they live. Fish flesh may store contaminants such as PCBs, which are strongly suspected of causing cancer, nervous system disorders, and fetal damage; dioxins, also linked to cancer; radioactive substances like strontium 90; and toxic metals like cadmium, mercury, lead, chromium, and arsenic, which can cause health problems ranging from kidney damage and impaired mental development to cancer. For more information about the health problems associated with fish consumption, please see http://www.FishingHurts.com/HealthConcerns.asp.
Unfortunately, getting the message to the public is not always easy and straightforward. Unlike our opposition, which is mostly composed of wealthy industries and corporations, PETA must rely on getting free “advertising” through media coverage. We often use stunts and controversial ad campaigns to get the word out about animal abuse, because sadly, the media usually do not consider the facts alone “interesting” enough to cover. Colorful and controversial gimmicks, on the other hand, consistently grab headlines, bringing the animal rights message to audiences around the country and, often, the world. Our efforts and campaigns have been very successful in educating the public about the abuses that animals endure every day, and your message is proof that people are reading and talking about PETA and animal rights. If this column by an outdoors writer is any indication, our Sea Kitten campaign has been successful: http://www.dispatch.com/live/conten...-12-08_C13_7EBIQ21.html?type=rss&cat=&sid=101. For more thoughts on this issue, see http://www.calgaryherald.com/news/PETA+fishing+kitten+sympathy/1175481/story.html.
For more information about our Sea Kitten campaign and our broader efforts to help fish, please visit http://www.FishingHurts.com.
Thanks again for writing and for sharing your thoughts with us.
Sincerely,
Jeff Haines
Correspondence Assistant
PETA Foundation
And here is my response back...
Dear Jeff,
Outlandish means of grabbing people's attention will often times backfire just as the tossing of paint and destruction of private property by members of your organization have done. Y
our rep is poor among many and this "lighthearted" campaign as you put it, borders on the ridiculaous.
People are carnivores. We were made to eat the lower lifeforms. Some pain is involved. Those of us who are not vegetarians are tired of hearing the propaganda that your organization spews forth. Those of us with family members who are afflicted with disease do not care how many animals it takes to find a cure.
Sorry if it sounds cold, but human life must be put first, although if you wish to give up yours by undergoing such tests yourself so that an animal can live, feel free.
Sincerely
Ray
Boy I love playin with this kind of organization.....
PETA just grinds my gears so I sent them an email telling them just how foolish I thought they were as an organization in general..
I never expected a response, but got one.....Here it is....
Thank you for contacting PETA about our lighthearted campaign to get people to think of fish as “sea kittens.” The goal of this campaign is to help people of all ages recognize that fish are living beings capable of feeling pain and distress—just as kittens are—and that it is no more acceptable to inflict pain and suffering on fish than it is to hurt a kitten or any other animal.
PETA’s purpose is to stop animal suffering, and we use all available opportunities to reach millions of people with powerful messages. We have found that people pay more attention to our more outlandish actions, and we consider the public’s attention to be extremely important. Part of our job is to grab people’s attention and initiate discussion, debate, questioning of the status quo, and, of course, action. The situation is critical for billions of animals, and our goal is to make the public think about the issues.
We cannot dismiss the fact that it’s wrong to hurt fish simply because we perceive them to be less intelligent than humans. Superior intelligence does not entitle humans to abuse other humans, so why should it entitle humans to abuse beings other than humans?
No one would consider doing to other animals what some so casually do to fish—trick them into impaling themselves in the mouth and pull them into an environment where they can’t breathe. But whether they are bass or basset hounds, catfish or cats, all animals treasure their lives and feel pain.
According to Dr. Donald Broom, animal welfare advisor to the British government, “The scientific literature is quite clear. Anatomically, physiologically and biologically, the pain system in fish is virtually the same as in birds and mammals. In animal welfare terms you have to put fishing into the same category as hunting.” Adds Dr. Austin Williams, a U.S. National Marine Fisheries Service zoologist, fish “are [sensitive] organisms, so of course they feel pain.” To learn more about these animals’ intelligence and capacity for suffering, please visit http://www.FishingHurts.com/feat-hiddenfish.asp and http://www.FishingHurts.com/FishFeelPain.asp.
We also want people to know that eating fish flesh can be hazardous to their health. Fish can accumulate extremely high levels of chemical residues—as much as 9 million times higher than the levels of the water in which they live. Fish flesh may store contaminants such as PCBs, which are strongly suspected of causing cancer, nervous system disorders, and fetal damage; dioxins, also linked to cancer; radioactive substances like strontium 90; and toxic metals like cadmium, mercury, lead, chromium, and arsenic, which can cause health problems ranging from kidney damage and impaired mental development to cancer. For more information about the health problems associated with fish consumption, please see http://www.FishingHurts.com/HealthConcerns.asp.
Unfortunately, getting the message to the public is not always easy and straightforward. Unlike our opposition, which is mostly composed of wealthy industries and corporations, PETA must rely on getting free “advertising” through media coverage. We often use stunts and controversial ad campaigns to get the word out about animal abuse, because sadly, the media usually do not consider the facts alone “interesting” enough to cover. Colorful and controversial gimmicks, on the other hand, consistently grab headlines, bringing the animal rights message to audiences around the country and, often, the world. Our efforts and campaigns have been very successful in educating the public about the abuses that animals endure every day, and your message is proof that people are reading and talking about PETA and animal rights. If this column by an outdoors writer is any indication, our Sea Kitten campaign has been successful: http://www.dispatch.com/live/conten...-12-08_C13_7EBIQ21.html?type=rss&cat=&sid=101. For more thoughts on this issue, see http://www.calgaryherald.com/news/PETA+fishing+kitten+sympathy/1175481/story.html.
For more information about our Sea Kitten campaign and our broader efforts to help fish, please visit http://www.FishingHurts.com.
Thanks again for writing and for sharing your thoughts with us.
Sincerely,
Jeff Haines
Correspondence Assistant
PETA Foundation
And here is my response back...
Dear Jeff,
Outlandish means of grabbing people's attention will often times backfire just as the tossing of paint and destruction of private property by members of your organization have done. Y
our rep is poor among many and this "lighthearted" campaign as you put it, borders on the ridiculaous.
People are carnivores. We were made to eat the lower lifeforms. Some pain is involved. Those of us who are not vegetarians are tired of hearing the propaganda that your organization spews forth. Those of us with family members who are afflicted with disease do not care how many animals it takes to find a cure.
Sorry if it sounds cold, but human life must be put first, although if you wish to give up yours by undergoing such tests yourself so that an animal can live, feel free.
Sincerely
Ray
Boy I love playin with this kind of organization.....
